Four Day Hombre @ Night & Day

WHERE would Morrissey be without the eccentricity, Oasis without the attitude or swagger, Franz Ferdinand if theyéd taken geography instead of art or The Hives if they had different tailors? Probably the same place as Four Day Hombre.

WHERE would Morrissey be without the eccentricity, Oasis without the attitude or swagger, Franz Ferdinand if theyéd taken geography instead of art or The Hives if they had different tailors?

Probably the same place as Four Day Hombre. Successful bands usually have a quirk that sets them apart from others making it a strange fact that sometimes total perfection is the ultimate destruction.

And unfortunately this Leeds five-piece are a living, breathing, cautionary tale that neatly penned tracks performed too perfectly are about as offensive, memorable and rockénéroll as singing a lullaby to a sleeping baby.

With soft melodies driven by powerful vocals that swell until each instrument unravels, FDH sound like a clean-shaven Elbow who have stolen the emotional batteries from Longview - which would be quite nice apart from the fact theyére about as harmful as a bubble-wrapped bouncy castle.

Dressed simply in shirts and trousers, the two vocalists are neater and tidier than one of The Ordinary Boys in a newly washed Ben Sherman and look like a band made up from a bunch of older brothers.

Safe

With the climactic chorus of Ités OK To Cry and familiar story in Drink (that was penned about one too many Somerset ciders at Glastonbury) you canét help but feel that these guys are playing it a bit too safe.

But just when it seems thereéd be more chance of being blown away by a lovesick Travis, the frontman sits at the keyboard and begins a beautiful track.

Its chilling vocals and piano accompaniment glide from one phrase to the next and show off a standard of melodic rock that some bands can only try to accomplish.

Still, for an up and coming band hailed by Radio 1 as having one of the best demos theyéve been sent, thereés something very wrong with the picture.

Whether the crowd are simply mesmerised or just bored ités hard to tell, but when girls are sat down fanning themselves with flyers instead of at the front trying to catch the eye of the bassist it isnét a good sign.

Perhaps they need reminding that ités our imperfections that make us special.